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Study of the water extractable components of the red seaweed Eucheuma spinosum
Author(s) -
TONG H. K.,
LEE K. H.,
WONG H. A.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
international journal of food science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.831
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1365-2621
pISSN - 0950-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1979.tb00870.x
Subject(s) - polysaccharide , stratum spinosum , sugar , red algae , pigment , biology , botany , dry weight , mucilage , food science , extraction (chemistry) , chemistry , algae , chromatography , biochemistry , genetics , stratum corneum , organic chemistry
Summary A study of the components of the red seaweed Eucheuma spinosum , found growing abundantly in Singapore waters, was made with a view to improving its commercial value. Carbohydrates was found to be the chief component, accounting for over 70% of the dry weight. Proteins accounted for between 5–10% of the dry weight. The nature of the carbohydrates present was determined and found to consist mainly of polysaccharide/s extractable with water under the mildest of conditions. Centrifuging a 1% homogenate of the dried Eucheuma plant and freeze drying the supernatant resulted in the isolation of over 80% of the polysaccharide present. By sun bleaching the plants before extraction, the red pigments present in the red alga was not extracted with the polysaccharide/s, resulting in a white fluffy product. The sugar units of the polysaccharide/s were galactose and 3,6‐anhydrogalactose in the proportion of 3:2.